Pitch Wars MG Wish List (2021) – Julie Artz

I’m thrilled to be back for a fifth year as a Pitch Wars MG mentor!

*Pitch Wars is a mentoring program where published/agented authors, editors, or industry interns choose one writer each to spend three months revising their manuscript. It ends in February with an Agent Showcase, where agents can read a pitch/first page and can request to read more. Learn more at pitchwars.org.

Note: I have been careful to include alt text to make this wishlist accessible to screen readers and other devices. But if you’d like to read a text-only version of this wishlist, I have one here:

All About Julie

After more than two decades of business writing and editing, ten years ago I pivoted to creative writing. Since then, I have worked with authors published by the Big 4, mid-sized, and indie presses. I have also helped clients formulate their queries and pitching strategies. My affiliations with SCBWI, AWP, and EFA, and my work with Pitch Wars/Teen Pit, keep my industry knowledge current and sharp.

I am a big-picture thinker who helps writers make what’s on the page as strong as what’s in their head. Satisfying character arcs and vibrant world building are my superpowers! I love teaching writers about craft, whether they need scene-writing 101 or a deep dive into playing with figurative language. In addition to mentoring writers, I also contribute to The Winged Pen and Middle Grade at Heart, and I’m a past Co-Regional Advisor for SCBWI Western Washington. In my free time, you’ll find me writing magical and geeky stories for all ages, pottering in the garden, out hiking in the glorious Pacific Northwest, or maybe in a hammock devouring a delicious new book.

What to Expect

So what can you expect from me? My critique partners have a running joke about my detailed edit letters and knack for comp titles and high-concept pitches. My kids claim I have the maturity level of an 11-year-old, which is why I channel middle grade voice so well. In 2015, my own Pitch Wars mentee experience felt like going through an MFA program in two short months. I plan to bring that same craft-focused intensity to my mentee in 2021!

I love geeking out on comp titles and movie references and middle grade voice and magic systems. Sub to me and you will get a blend of craft and industry knowledge, a compassionate, yet firm hand to guide you, and probably some very dorky and MG-appropriate gifs and jokes.

If you’d like to know more about what it’s like to work with me, check out my client testimonials on my Book Coaching page.

Pitch Wars MG – A Track Record of Success

There are no guarantees in this business. But I will say that all four of my amazing mentees have been able to find representation with the manuscript that they worked on with me during Pitch Wars–Two have books coming out in the next two years! And Pitch Wars as a whole has generated hundreds of success stories. Mentorship works.

Please do apply (as long as you have a complete draft and follow wish list guidelines). But also know that Pitch Wars is just one of many paths to publication. If you don’t get picked, keep participating in the community, keep learning, and KEEP WRITING. Quitting is the only thing that guarantees you will not succeed.

For more information about how to prepare for a mentorship program, check out my article, originally published on Jane Friedman’s blog: How to Get Accepted by a Writing Mentorship Program.

Julie’s Pitch Wars MG Wish List

One of the best ways to pick a mentor is by understanding their tastes. And their favorite books are a big part of that. Here are a few of my recent favorites:

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As you might have guessed from this list, this year, I’ll be focusing on fantasy (including historical fantasy and contemporary stories with strong magical elements) and adding issue-driven contemporary to my Pitch Wars MG wish list! I’d particularly love to see novels in verse, stories that tackle contemporary social justice and feminist-oriented issues, and/or unique world building and magic systems.

My goal is to find a story with a fresh premise and beautiful writing. I prefer to work with an experienced writer who is immersed in the world of middle grade literature and regularly works with critique partners. No first drafts, please!

!!! Send Me Stories by Traditionally Underrepresented Authors!!!

***Major bonus points for authors from a traditionally underrepresented group. BIPOC, neurodivergent, disabled, and LGBTQ+ middle grade authors welcomed!***

Here is a (non-exhaustive) list of some of the things I love about middle grade:

• A compelling narrative voice like The Wolf’s Curse by Jessica Vitalis
• Heartwarming family interactions with magical overtones like Bayou Magic by Jewell Parker Rhodes
• Coming of age and puberty themes like Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder
• Examinations of the consequences of family secrets and self esteem like Monstrous by MarcyKate Connolly
• Mash-ups, fresh retellings, and dual POV like A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat
• A survival story OR novel in verse like Alone by Megan Freeman
• A historical fiction with strong voice like The Mad Wolf’s Daughter by Diane Magras

But I’d also love a middle grade fantasy version of something like:

• The voice, scope and world building of The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill, but actually MG! (OK, shelved as MG, but totally NOT a typical MG book. If you’d like to exhaustively but amicably debate this topic over a nice cup of tea, we might be a good fit!)
• A fantasy world that blends seamlessly with current social justice themes like A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow
• Dark magical creatures and lyrical writing like Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
• Unexpected twists, unreliable narrators, and epic world building like The Queen’s Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
• A blend of family stories, music, and contemporary issues like Solo by Kwame Alexander
• An ensemble cast of misfits on a rip-roaring magical or sci-fi adventure, but with deep personal stakes and an internal arc like Spellhacker by M. K. England

Julie’s No List

Last year, nearly 20% of the submissions in my Pitch Wars MG inbox included elements from my no list. This included genres that I do not mentor or topics that are outside my wheelhouse. Please don’t do this! We have so many talented mentors who will be better able to help you with these types of stories. It’s not only about preference, but about my own skillset as a mentor!

• Humor
• Lower MG
• Light contemporary stories
• Mysteries
• Portal fantasies
• Non-magical animal POVs (A dragon? OK. A squirrel/dog/cat? No thank you.)
• Slapstick or contemporary adventures

If you are a past or present client, or if I know you from SCBWI, please submit to one of the other amazing MG mentors instead of submitting to me.

Connect with Julie

I’m on Twitter and Instagram at @JulieArtz and am also on Facebook. You can also subscribe to my monthly newsletter, which is full of writing tips and other creativity boosters. And of course, I’d love for you to add my books on Goodreads: Beyond the Latch and Lever, Villains & Vengeance.

I’m happy to answer questions on Twitter (please @ me rather than sending a DM because others may have the exact same question!), but I’ll also be participating in the Pitch Wars Live: MG chat on Thursday, September 16, 2021, from 4-6 pm PT and the #AskMentor chat on Twitter on Tuesday, September 14, 2021, at 5 pm PT and Friday, September 24, 2021, at 5 pm PT.

Thank you!

Thanks for stopping by. If you do decide to submit to me, thank you for trusting me with your words! I take my job as a mentor very seriously and look forward to diving into my inbox.

Don’t Forget to Visit the Other MG Mentors

Don’t forget to check out the other Middle Grade mentors!

Pitch Wars 2021 Middle Grade Mentors’ Wish Lists

Click here to view all Pitch Wars 2021 Mentors’ Wish Lists. To view the wish lists by genre, visit this link.